U.S. –Russia “Reset”: “The reset is something to think about as having passed three years ago ... the reality is that there is a lot of water under the bridge now, and you don’t get to hit the reset button too many times,” Rojansky said. “I think Vladimir Putin has come to the table today with a much more skeptical opinion of Obama than he had three years ago, he does not feel that this is a guy whose intentions he can necessarily trust, he thinks back to the battle days of the relationship, which he basically thinks is the dominant theme.”

Cooperation: Despite the currently strained relations between the two countries, Rojansky stressed the necessity of cooperation. “We are still cooperating on a lot of important issues. Cooperation tends to be most effective when it is below the radar, on such issues as intelligence sharing, counter-terrorism operations, counter-narcotics operations,” he explained. “The cooperation has got to continue, we have some serious differences, but we have to compartmentalize our issues,” Rojansky added.

About the Russia and Eurasia Program

The Carnegie Russia and Eurasia Program has, since the end of the Cold War, led the field of Eurasian security, including strategic nuclear weapons and nonproliferation, development, economic and social issues, governance, and the rule of law.